Makar Sankranti 2046 Date — Monday, January 15, 2046
When is Makar Sankranti in 2046? Makar Sankranti 2046 falls on Monday, January 15, 2046.
Observance: Makar Sankranti (Pongal). City calendars may vary slightly by sunrise and amanta or purnimanta tradition — confirm with your local mandir.
Makar Sankranti 2046 — full list of dates
| Observance | Date & day | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bhogi | Sun, 14 January 2046 | |
| Makar Sankranti / Thai Pongal | Mon, 15 January 2046 | Main day |
| Mattu Pongal | Tue, 16 January 2046 | |
| Kaanum Pongal | Wed, 17 January 2046 |
Why we celebrate
The Sun enters sidereal Makara (Capricorn) and begins Uttarayana, its northward journey. It is the one major Hindu festival fixed to the solar calendar rather than the moon, so it lands on 14 or 15 January every year. In Tamil Nadu the same day is Thai Pongal, the harvest thanksgiving that opens the auspicious month of Thai.
Regional notes
Tamil Nadu: Thai Pongal. Andhra and Telangana: three-day Sankranti with Bhogi and Kanuma. Karnataka: Suggi Habba with ellu-bella exchange. Maharashtra: til-gul with the greeting 'til-gul ghya, god god bola'. Gujarat and Rajasthan: Uttarayan kites. Punjab: Maghi, the morning after Lohri. Assam: Magh Bihu with meji bonfires.
How it is celebrated
Four days in the Tamil country: Bhogi (bonfire of the old), Thai Pongal (the pongal pot boiling over), Mattu Pongal (honouring cattle) and Kaanum Pongal (family outings). Elsewhere it is Uttarayan kite flying in Gujarat, Lohri and Maghi in Punjab, Magh Bihu in Assam, Khichdi in Uttar Pradesh, and holy dips at Ganga Sagar, Prayagraj and Haridwar.
Puja timing
Punya Kaal is the roughly forty ghatis (about sixteen hours) after the Sun's ingress into Makara; if the transit happens after sunset the whole observance shifts to the next sunrise, which is why some years fall on 15 January.
Foods & offerings
Sakkarai pongal and ven pongal, sugarcane, til-gul laddu and gajak, khichdi, pitha in Assam.
Rituals
- Boil the pongal pot at sunrise and let it overflow while calling 'Pongalo Pongal'.
- Bathe in a river or take a sankalpa snan at home before sunrise.
- Draw a kolam or rangoli at the doorway.
- Give til-gul, grain or cloth as daan.
Makar Sankranti dates by year
| Year | Date & day |
|---|---|
| 2045 | Sat, 14 January 2045 |
| 2046 | Mon, 15 January 2046 |
| 2047 | Tue, 15 January 2047 |
| 2048 | Wed, 15 January 2048 |
| 2049 | Thu, 14 January 2049 |
Hindu festivals around Makar Sankranti 2046
- Pongal 2046 date — Mon, 15 January 2046
- Vasant Panchami 2046 date — Sun, 11 February 2046
- Thaipusam 2046 date — Tue, 20 February 2046
- Maha Shivaratri 2046 date — Tue, 6 March 2046
- Holika Dahan 2046 date — Thu, 22 March 2046
- Holi 2046 date — Fri, 23 March 2046
- Ugadi 2046 date — Sat, 7 April 2046
- Gudi Padwa 2046 date — Sat, 7 April 2046
- Chaitra Navratri 2046 date — Sat, 7 April 2046
- Vishu 2046 date — Sat, 14 April 2046
- Baisakhi 2046 date — Sat, 14 April 2046
- Tamil Puthandu 2046 date — Sat, 14 April 2046
